HYSTERIA 2014 Raises $110,000 for Women’s Health

May 14, 2014

HYSTERIA 2014 was a huge success!

Thank you to everyone who made HYSTERIA 2014 a great accomplishment for the Clinic. On May 8th a sold-out crowd packed the theater of the Jewish Community Center for an evening of comedy, libations, and celebrations in support of the Clinic. More than 500 guests sipped and dined on excellent cocktails, wine, and beer hosted by gracious sponsors, and perused over the well stocked silent auction.

In total, we raised $110,000 to improve the health and well-being of thousands of women and girls. This total includes the astounding $26,000 we raised in 10 minutes during our text-to-give appeal! Thank you to everyone who bid at the auction, bought a ticket, or texted in a donation.

This is the first year HYSTERIA has incorporated an award portion of the program, and Diana Taylor was the inaugural Hysterical Hero Award honoree. Dr. Taylor, a professor emerita at UC San Francisco School of Nursing, was instrumental to the founding of the Clinic. With Dr. Taylor’s support and direction, Debbie Bamberger, a graduate of the School of Nursing’s first Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) class, co-founded the Women’s Community Clinic 15 years ago. We are continuously inspired by the passion of Diana Taylor, and can’t thank her enough for her support.

Yet the evening’s highlight was Tig Notaro’s special comedy performance, which left us all chucking into the next day. Notaro is most notable for her groundbreaking set about her cancer diagnosis, which begins, “Hello… how are you? I have cancer.” This set, titled Live, quickly rose to fame after Louis CK launched it on his website. Notaro’s public struggle with health has been honest, illuminating, and often hilarious, making her a great fit for the evening’s cause.

The funds raised during the evening will go directly to supporting the Clinic’s work in providing high quality, accessible, and client-centered health care to all women, regardless of their income or insurance status. With the roll out of the Affordable Care Act, the Clinic has stepped in as a major source of care for MediCal enrollees, and continues to do outreach work to the region’s uninsured and under-insured women.

Special thanks to our Champion Sponsor Kaiser Permanente. We are grateful for the many ways that Kaiser Permanente staff and providers have supported the Clinic over the years.